Extreme weather conditions, constantly changing terrains, and his Bounce Infinity E1 electric scooter were YouTuber Girish Shet’s only companions during the exhilarating ride.
Over 4,300 km, 19 days, 11 states, and one electric scooter — Girish Shet knew it wouldn’t be a cake walk when he set off for a thrilling expedition from Kanyakumari to Khardung-La in June earlier this year. And as expected, the journey wasn’t exactly an easy one.
A corporate professional working with a publishing house, Shet has been following his passion for biking and motorcycles ever since he turned old enough to ride one. Apart from going on riding expeditions, he also runs his YouTube channel ‘Weekend on Wheels’ that speaks about everything from biking trends, safety measures, to rigorous reviews of new toys in the market.
His latest ride was sure of bumpy one — with many roadblocks, first being his own disbelief — but beyond those hardships, Shet found the world’s attention (his ‘scooter’ journey is still making headlines) as well as memories of a lifetime. We spoke to the adventurer about this experience.
You travelled from Kanyakumari to Khardung-La in just 19 days on an electric scooter! Share your experience with us.
It wasn’t too long before I started dreaming of and planning for this ride. It meant the world to me. I started my journey on the June 18 and finished it on July 6. On the very first day itself, I had asked myself what have I gotten myself into. But as the ride went on, it just kept getting better. This ride taught me to keep my patience, control my temperament, and be focussed and confident. I saw both hottest day of the summer to one of my coldest nights. Culture changed with each crossing state, and the warmth that I received from the people along the way was surreal to say the least. What a life-changing experience it was!
What inspired you to set-off on such a unique, enthralling journey?
In February last year, I had a heart attack and had to go through a surgery. This was a life-altering moment for me, and I went under depression for three to four months. I knew that I had to get back on the saddle to overcome it.
Things started to go back to normal when I started my ride from Mangalore to Lonavala in December 2021, and then attended India Bike Week. I called this the ‘Reclaiming Myself Ride’! By the end of it, the idea of the ‘K2K Ride’ on a Bounce Infinity E1 e-scooter had cropped up on my mind.
What made you pick an electric scooter? How did this experience compare with your bike rides in terms of speed, comfort, safety, weight bearing capacity?
As I wanted to challenge myself both physically and mentally after the health scare, I was looking for something that was not attempted before. While an electric scooter had its own positives, it’s a fact that it comes with a top-speed restricted to 65 kmph. Although the low speed didn’t bother me because it give me all the time in the world to look around and immerse in the nature.
The ride was actually quite comfortable. Bounce Infinity E1 is built to withstand even the harshest of weather conditions and the worst of roads. Also, I weigh 81 kg, and had no problem riding it. I truly enjoyed every bit of the ride from the southernmost part of the country all the way to the northern end.
How much time typically does Bounce Infinity E1 need to charge and how long does it run on a full charge? How did you find locations that had charging points?
Typically, the battery can be charged within three and a half hours if you are using a 15-amp charger. If you are using a 5-amp charger, it would take about five hours to charge the battery completely. Once full-charged, the battery will give a range of 70 km in eco mode and 55 km on power mode. I had carried additional batteries. So we had 1 + 5 batteries in total and we used to charge these batteries using a 5-amp charger every night at the hotel that we stayed at.
How did you plan your route based on this information? What buffers did you keep in case something didn’t go according to plan?
If you have to plan a K2K Ride, there are three commonly taken routes that you can ride on. One is the central corridor, then you have the west corridor and finally the east corridor. I opted to take the central corridor and the plan was to ride about 250 km every day. Even after riding 50 km, we would have a spare battery just in case for any unforetold circumstances. It took me about two months of planning to get everything in place.
Tell us about the high point of your adventure: One moment that left you spellbound!
It was certainly when I conquered the top of Khardung-La at 18,000 feet above sea level! It’s a dream for every motorcycle enthusiast in India, but doing it on an electric scooter is something new and refreshing. I wasn’t sure if I will be able to do that until I did it. That feeling was out of the world!
What precautions and safety measures did you follow riding an e-scooter? And what advice would you give other travellers who want to undertake a similar trip?
I had taken every safety measure that was needed, from carrying extra batteries while on the go, to having fire-proof bags in which they were kept. Also, I made sure to stay fully geared up with proper riding gears. I also carried first aid kits if needed, because Khardung-La a high-altitude area. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a common scenario in the region, so I also carried oxygen cylinders along with diamox tablet to acclimatize myself when needed.
What were the difficulties you faced along the way, and how you managed to keep going?
One of the biggest challenge that I faced during the ride was the constantly changing weather condition. When I started from Kanyakumari, the temperature was around 32 degrees (Celsius) and by the time I crossed Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and NCR, it shot up to 50 degrees! I avoided riding when the temperature was at its peak. Apart from the extreme heat, we encountered rain at Pathankot and freezing conditions at Khardung-La.
What adventure is next on your bucket list?
Next, I want to do an international ride. I have done them in the past but next time, I want to ride in the snow and go through some of the harshest terrains across the world. Iceland, Russia, and Switzerland are on my bucket list.
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